Shaving device



' y 1941- w. s. SUSSMAN srmvme DEVICE Filed oct. 20. 19:59

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v INVENTOR fizz/4M {was/ M 44' ATTORNEY Patented May 20, 1941 UNITED-1 STATES PATENT o ic x f 2,242,405 l s ivmenevms, l l William S. Sussman, Newyorkhl Application octtber'zo, 1939. sesame; 300,305 "scams, (or. 3 4 .s i 1 This invention relates to new and useful improvements inmechanical shavers; orshavers with moving blades, and the principal object of the invention is the provision of an improveddevice of this character having a true shaving action, that is, a cutting action similar to that of a scythe, as distinguished from the clipping or" the lawn mower type of shaver having a movable blade and a cooperating stationary blade. r

, Shaversoi' the latter type are objectionable for the reason that thestationary cutting elementor shearplate must be of suflicient'thinness as to render it structurally weak- Fu'rthermore, the success, if'any, of such shavers resides in their abilityto direct the hairs intothese recesses between stationary. and moving blades; This can, of course, be donefa few hairs at a time, but the process of shaving is slow-and tedious and the result is nota true shaving action-*1 but rather a chopping or guillotine.type or action. Another objection to this general type of razor is in the fact that inthe event that the user-moves the shaver head faster than the clipping action can be completed, the result is ing of the hair from the root. l v

The action oi the present razor is similar to that of an ordinary straight or safety razor when the blade of such razor attacks the hairs at an angle. In other words, in normal shaving the bladeis heldat some angle other than a right angle to theline of movement of such blades The present razor cuts in the same manner by providing an elongated, generally cylindrical roi tatable cutting eleme'nt having a spirally disposed cutting {edge extending from end to end. This cutting edge is disposed at an angleofbetween 20, to to a line drawn transversely ofthe elongated cutting element. As this element rotates, it cuts along a line extendingi'rom end to end of the cutter and as the cutter ,is moved over the .face an area the width of th cutter is shaved. v

In a slightly modified form oi the invention, a

substantially the same cutter is employed although it isnot given a complete revolution ut is rather moved, by the action of a special cam, in the pathof an ellipse and the cutting action is substantially'the same- In each instance, the cutter is'enclosedwithin a guard having a longitudinal. recess oii ap propriate width, either toothed or straight edged,

such guard preventing injury to the user although theopposed edges do not function in any manner as a stationary cutting blade, since none is necessary. I y

- Another object or the inventionis t e pro vision of'an improved spiral or helical cutting element so formed in'transverse sectionasfto ive'the edge a maximum cutting action.

Affurtherobject of the invention is thepro Q vision oi'f'a novel type of cutting element so formedas to be capable ofexcellent shaving re sults. while operating at a relatively'slower Speed thanconventional cutters-'operate,thus making'a" spring motor containedwithin the handle suitable for operating the razor.

vision of an improved "cutting element which may be removed and discarded when dull, and a new one inserted i'nits place.

.In the/drawings:

I Fig. 1. is a broken,.front elevation-oi theupper' end vof-wamotor housing, the viewshowing a central longitudinalsection through the guard or; cutterhead; and a front elevation of the preferred form of cutting element, such section being taken on line i-l of- Fig; 2;

Fig. 2is atop plan view of the guard and cutting element, a portion of the former being broken away to show'the driving means; I

Fig. 3 is a broken transverse vertical section taken on line 3- 3 of Fig. 2 in Fig. ,4 is a an enlarged broken "section taken through the cutter guard, such view'also showingv a brokenside elevation of the cutting ele'- 'ment; .I

Fig. 5. isan enlarged transverse section'taken through the cutting element; I

Fig. 6 is a central longitudinal, horizontal section taken through, a head, the view showing a top plan view of the cutting element formed from apiece of tubing rather than from an elongated strip;. l

Fig. 'l is atop plan view a shaving head;

Fig. 8 ;is a central, longitudinal section-taken through a cutting head, the view-showing a sideelevation, partially in section of a modified form of cuttingv element and driving means therefor;

line 9-9 of Fig. 8; and

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the driving cam.

The structure-in Figs. 1 to 5 shows the upper terminal portion; I I I of a motor housing, such portion having asemi-circular transverse recess I2 of a modified format I Fig, 9 is a'transverse vertical section taken on co-pending .application erial No? 300,304. filed shown it is not centered upon its supportfal portion of such shaft is not-enclosed, isrshown An enlarged transverse: section .of said recess which forms a seatfor a cylindrical guard or shaver'head it within which. a rotatable spiral cutting element I4 is positioned. 1

suitable prime mover such as an electric motor or 7 spring motor .may be employed, however. ,Two

preferred embodiments of the latter "type ofmotor suitable for such: use"are.. disclosed-;-in;, my

.of even date herewith; U V

'In view of the special construction of the spiral,. cutter, the drive shaft, designated as ",is posi- H tioned adjacent to one terminal or g the lguard' '1 I! rather than in the center of the motor-hops in a is the case in most shavers havingtravei I p U I p g z .at an angle of approximately 25 to a line drawn transversely of the cutting element. Such-an angleof'the cutting edges has been found to give in: blades. 7 The guard may befmadelfmmmetfljf r from plastic material and in the arrangement though 11: a. driveis positionedat each end',1.the guard may be centered on its support. Itgwill' be appreciated thatoany, suitable .trainof gearsi may beemployed to furnish powento the shaft atthe siderather than. inthe center of theimo- 25 tor housing. Also, the housingmay, .if; desired; enclose thelfull length o f:; such shaft although inithe preferred embodimentof; the invention a;

a at- 0 The shaft passes through "angapertureflli in; the lower wall of .;the. cylindrical "guard and 8,

collar ;l I having. a-set' screw-l8isrigidly1secured v to the shaft. immediately below the lower sur-z' face of the miard At the upper end ofthe shaftthei te'eth of acrown gear lli'frictionallysecured1 within the last convolution of the spiral cutter. I. s

, .wall portionflyand a relativelythin upper wall portion .24, all as shown; in Fig. 3. 1.1 The guard isfurther formed with. a longitudinal recess 28 in the, upper wall portion, such recess 2 terminating: short of the ends ofithexguarde iw is shown in Fig. '14,.and. .althoughthewall" portions 2lare=relatively thin (about-.015' inch) the opposed edges OL'thG slot or recess'26f-are- ':not vertical butrather .aretapered as shown at*2I.---- 'At the end of the bore opposite from shaft i5 a cap. 'ispositioned and secured'by means 0f a set screw 3L; A shortbearing-Emember 33 positioned 'withiir the last convolution of the 5 spiral cutter and is secured therein by frictional engagement. 3 This bearingmember 33,-;-aS well as the'crown gear may be formedwith 'a slight 1 projection. which :will fit within'arecessin thej, v

spiral cutter,. such "method 'of more positiveg se curement being illustrated 1 ma subsequent em bodinient .ofv the present invention. ,Abearing pin 35 positioned in the end cap passes through an aperture -in' the. bearing nemberffl. The lower wall 23of the guardis formedwith Fig. 5. t ,It wm be'noted that s'uch'cutter is thick '75- *2, z42, 4oa 1 v est at its center 42 andtapers down to relatively 'thin' opposedcutting edges 43. This cutting ele- 2 5 .2 a sma1l 'gear- I9 is secured, such gear.,enga,ging

' thejri'ghtiKFigs:lxandi2).

' thettype. describedin my co-pending application,

65' a threaded" apertureii 'raligned'with -another ment. may be made from steel although. such cutter-formed fromfglass has given unusual resuits. The cutter is desirably formed in a flat elongated strip havingthe cross-sectional shape of the structure shown in. Fig. 5. Theopposed edges are then sharpened in the usual'manner and the strip cutto suitable length for the cutting element The strip'is .thembent to helical shape and lthe g'earllliand the bearing memberinserted in opposite ends thereof, The external diameter of-the cutter is such as to fit fairly snugly within thecylindrical guard it although it must not 5'-have {su'ch a largediameter as to bind when po- -..I 1 d wlfih nethesuard r It will benoted, that the cutting edges" no a true: shaving] actionxjras distinguished I from a clipping, action or. .lguiliotine. action of "the typev found; in "practically? every. shaver? having a" a traveling; cutting element and a cooperating sta-f d aryblodo.

;,It will alsozbe apparent from an examination of Fi -3 that theiedges fl :or: the recessinmo wherein 'the redges. are spaced fromthe opposed edgesjofthe"slot in the'guard.'

vWhen the cutter: is turning at a speed ofi5 0 1 R.P.1Mror thereabouts; all the whiskers in an area; the width of the recess liareshaved in a .scythe-likecmanner as the shaver'is moved over theiface at normal shaving speed." Aswas earlien pointed *outfithe foregoing device may bei used gwith or lwithoutl previous application of-lather to. the iface'. -A' suitable pre-tonsorial prepara-j tion is preferred, however, and during the operation' of. shaving the "lather or other= preparation will,; as"it isjremovedfromthe race. pass into; the bore in the guard and out theopemendi at" If aspring motoriof.

insteadof an electricmotorgis employed to rotate shaft I 5, a a safetyyfactor of ;high order fwill be present in the shaving. apparatus, since slightly too, much j'pressure. of the cutter againstfthe skin... wil1 retard oreven stop rotation'of the'cutter, .By providing such a" "safety factor' the: guard could, if desired, be eliminated entirely. In other ".words', by forming the cutting element in such a manner as to provides, spacejbetwen two convolutionssubstantially equal to the wiidthf or veach -eonvolution" of "the cutter, "all 3 as? clearly 1 shown" in Fi'g. 1,"thehair's on the face are pre-x sented tothe cutting edges foreflectiveremovai withoutdanger of cutting theskini Since the.

guard structure forms a support for the cutting element, and permits rotation thereoLiso'me'such structure "must "be'projvided although it need not necessarilybeT-isof formed as to function as a 'l'hefcuttirig element 45 shown inFigJB has the same cutting function asQthe cutter shown in Figs. lto This cutter 45 is ,made from a single tubular-piece ofmetal and cutting edges 1 l6 areformedinany manner well knowninthe. 7 art. Such edges terminate in straight portions 41 which are desirably'not sharpne'dl .'I'he guard 49 shownin Figi'7 is that} in Fig. 2 except that the recess, instead f shown jacent to the end of the cutter.

'of having straight, parallel, opposed edges, is formed with edges comprising a plurality of spaced teeth 51, the edgesof which teeth are substantiallyparallel with the cutting edges 43 of the cutter H. .g

In themodified embodiment'shown-inFigs. 8

to 10, inclusive, the cutting element is substan- The drive in this instance is a center drive rather than an end. drive, and is furnishedby a central vertical shaft iournalled within a bearing member 52 whichis rigidly secured within the upperend ofa frame. The frame has a tioned within said bore, and means for impartreduced portion 54 at its upper-end which is threaded and forms a seat 55 for the upper end of a motor housing 56. The motor may be of the spring type disclosed in my co-pending application or it maybe a conventional electric motor.,

A circular nut 58 is carried on the threaded portion, such nut having a semi-circular recess 59 whichformsa seat for theelongated cylindrical guard Bl]. This guard is likewise provided with an eccentric longitudinal bore 6| leaving a relatively thick lower wall 82 and a relatively thin upper wall 83. The lower wall is provided with a threaded aperture 64 which receives the upper threaded portion of the bearing member 52. The cutting element comprises a spiral cutter 66 constructed in the same manner asthe cutter M in the preferred embodiment and a core 61 which is cylindrical in shape, is made from solid material such as metal or plastic and is formed with a spiral recess 68 corresponding to the voids between the cutter edges of the cutter 66. This recess 68 is concavely curved in transverse section as shown in Fig. 8. At each end of the core a small projection 69 is formed, which projection is fitted within a recess ad- It will be apparent that such cutter. may be readily slipped off the core when a new, cutter is to be employed.

One end of the guard, may, if desired, be provided with a cap and such cap may be provided with a bearing member. passing into a longitudinal aperture in the core 61 although this is not normally necessary. {The guard is further formed with a longitudinal opening H along the upper edge thereof.'

The lower surface of the core is formed with an aperture 18 within which is positioned a cir Fig. 8. Further rotation of the cam causes the cutter to describe an arc in the direction of the right in Fig. 9 and continued rotation causes it to further continue its arcuate movement to its maximum position to-the right in Fig. 8, thence to the left in Fig. 9 and back to starting position.

In other words, each point on the cutter t'ra'v- I erses a path in then'ature of an ellipse or fiattenedcirclerqv Any other type .of internal support for the cutter 86 may be provided and such support may be a skeleton framework, if desired. Also, if, formed as shown in Fig. 8 the recesses 68 may be made considerably. deeper'and a longitudinal bore may be formed in the core in orderto aid in the removal of the hairs as they are cut by the razor.

Both embodiments mayfbe modified considerably without;.departing from the spirit "of -the invention, as defined by the appended claims. For instance, :theiopeningin the guard in each instance may be placed on the side rather than in the top thereof.

What'I' claim is: r

1. A, mechanical razor comprising a movable cutting element, a guard formed with a longitudinal bore, the cutting element being posiing movement to said cutting element, said element'consisting of a helical member formed in transverse section with a thickened portion tapering down to a cutting edge, the guard having a longitudinal slot therein, the cutting edge lying out of contact with the bore in the'guard.

.2. A mechanical razor comprising a movable cutting element, a guard "formed with a bore from end. to end enclosing the cutting element and meansfor imparting movement to said cutting element comprisinga prime mover opera- -tively connected with the cutting element, said element consisting of a helical member former in transverse section with a thickened portion tapering down to a sharpened cutting edge lying inside the outer periphery of the thickened portion, the guard having a longitudinal slot therein, the cutting edge lying out of contact with the bore in the guard.

3. A mechanical razor comprising a rotatable cutting element, a guard formed with a longicutting element consisting of a helical member formed in transverse section with a thickened central portion tapering down to cutting edges on opposite sides thereof, a support for the cutting element comprising a handle portion, a sub stantially cylindrical guard member having a longitudinal bore and a longitudinal slot therein secured to said handle portion, the cutting element positioned within said. bore, the cutting edges of the helical member lying inside the outer periphery of the central portion and out of contact with the bore in the guard.

5. A mechanical razor comprising a rotatable cutting. element and a substantially cylindrical guard having a longitudinal bore therein, enclosing said cutting element, said element comprising a helical member formed in transverse section with a thickened body portion which tapers down to a sharpened cutting'edge, the guard having a longitudinally disposed slot therein extion of the cutting' edge-throughout itslength lyinginslde of, and out of contact with, the bore or the guard, 1 and means! comprisingra prime "mWel' r imparting' frotation t Whe" cuttin members g U -;6. A mechanical razor comprising 11*: moyable cutting element and a support therefor, said e1e-'- merit-including allielicalmember formed with s -thickened portion tapering downtc a sharpened'cutting edge, .said edge, throughout its length, lying inside' the outer periphery omne thickened portion; rand means for imparting movement to the cutting element comprising wprime mover-operatively connected with the element.

7. A mecha guardvhaving a longitudinal bore'therein', eh-

I I g ical razor comprising a {rotatable cutting element and a substantially cylindrical posing a portion of said cutting edge at each con 1 element and means volutionof the helicalimember, the exposed porconnecting the prime mover and thegears' 1 j i 8.. A mechanical-razor comprising; a." substantiling-cylindrical guard having a .;'longitudinal bore therein g a helical i cutting'feleme'nt Jourq 'nalled'within the bore for rotati efmovement, a gear-secured at one end of the cuttihgele- 'ment; a- .prime mover connectedfwith said gear to impart rotative move'ment to the helical element, the guard having of-longitudinally" disposed opening extending substantially, the 11.111

- length thereof and" exposinga 'pluralityof con volutioris of the helical i element, "each convolu;

tion of said element being forme'd with); thick-' ened portiontapering down" to a sharpened cut tingiedge lyingout or contact *withtliebore.-

, closing saidcuttingelement, said element *com- 1 prising a helical member formed in transverse Y section with athickened body portionlwhich tapers down toa sharpenedwcuttingaedge, the v guard having a longitudinal slot therein expos ing a portion of said cutting edge at each convolution of the helical member, the cutting-edge lying inside, andjout ofcontact with, the b'ore of the guard,a=hand1e supporting the guardpand' means comprising a. prime moveri positioned" with n the handlefor imparting rotation tol-the 'cutting member, a gearsecured atone endof the helical p 9. A mechanical razoroomprising-a cut; ting 'elementpa support therefor an'd means in! 'cluding a prime mover for imparting"rotation thereto, said cutting element being formed in transverse section with a portioriwhich tapers when pressed into contact {with the skin, Iorin ridges thereon and thus! present the hairs for efle'c'tive removal by the cutting-edge". 

